{"id":715,"date":"2020-08-26T16:21:54","date_gmt":"2020-08-26T16:21:54","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/salarydistribution.com\/2020\/08\/26\/7-easy-steps-to-measure-results-of-paid-placements-in-affiliate\/"},"modified":"2020-08-26T16:21:54","modified_gmt":"2020-08-26T16:21:54","slug":"7-easy-steps-to-measure-results-of-paid-placements-in-affiliate","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/salarydistribution.com\/affiliate-marketing\/2020\/08\/26\/7-easy-steps-to-measure-results-of-paid-placements-in-affiliate\/","title":{"rendered":"7 Easy Steps to Measure Results of Paid Placements in Affiliate"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n

\"Mandy\"Over the past several weeks, we\u2019ve been writing about\u00a0<\/span>how to effectively book\u00a0<\/span>paid placements in affiliate. In our first series, we went back to the basics,\u00a0<\/span>bringing you\u00a0<\/span>3 easy steps to booking placements in uneasy times<\/span><\/a>\u00a0and then followed up\u00a0<\/span>by providing\u00a0<\/span>3 easy steps\u00a0<\/span>to track and audit<\/span>\u00a0those placements to ensure efficiency<\/span><\/a>.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>Today,<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>i<\/span>n the final installment of<\/span>\u00a0our\u00a0<\/span>paid<\/span>\u00a0placements<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>in<\/span>\u00a0affiliate marketing blog series, we<\/span>\u2019re writing about<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>what<\/span>\u00a0is for many marketers the biggest challenge when dealing with paid placements<\/span>\u00a0and media buys<\/span>:\u00a0<\/span>how to\u00a0<\/span>accurately\u00a0<\/span>measure\u00a0<\/span>the<\/span>ir<\/span>\u00a0results<\/span>.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Paid placements\u00a0<\/span>are<\/span>\u00a0traditionally<\/span>\u00a0one<\/span>–<\/span>off opportunities\u00a0<\/span>that allow\u00a0<\/span>brands<\/span>\u00a0to\u00a0<\/span>gain<\/span>\u00a0premium onsite exposure with a publisher part<\/span>n<\/span>er<\/span>. They<\/span>\u00a0are often funded separately from the variable commission rates allocated to a partner and in many cases,\u00a0<\/span>operate on\u00a0<\/span>a fixed fee<\/span>,\u00a0<\/span>similar to<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>a<\/span>\u00a0media buy. It<\/span>\u2019s<\/span>\u00a0the result of these one<\/span>–<\/span>off media buys that create complexity for marketers\u00a0<\/span>when it comes to<\/span>\u00a0measuring the incremental lift\u00a0<\/span>directly<\/span>\u00a0attributable to the placement.<\/span>\u00a0So, to help bring clarity and focus to this complexity,<\/span>\u202f<\/span>b<\/span>elow are<\/span>\u00a07<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>simple<\/span>\u00a0steps that ea<\/span>s<\/span>ily break down how to effectively measure the results of your affi<\/span>lia<\/span>te placements.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

1. Evaluate\u00a0<\/strong>placements in\u00a0<\/strong>the\u00a0<\/strong>Ascend\u2122\u00a0<\/strong>platform\u2019s Track module.<\/strong><\/span>
<\/span><\/p>\n

Ascend\u2122 makes\u00a0<\/span>monitoring<\/span>\u00a0the real-time success of\u00a0<\/span>affiliate\u00a0<\/span>placements<\/span>\u00a0easy with<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>Placement Tracking and Reporting<\/span>\u2014your go-to reporting tool for holiday and beyond. Placement Tracking and Reporting enables marketers to quickly and easily:\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

    \n
  1. \nGain real-time insight<\/span><\/strong>\u00a0into the effectiveness of your placements and featured exposure with metrics like clicks, transactions, revenue, conversion rate and more.
    <\/span>
    <\/span>\n<\/li>\n
  2. \nMonitor return on spend<\/span><\/strong> with placement performance and cost data displayed prominently on the report.<\/span>\n<\/li>\n
  3. \nEasily access historical placement specifics and results<\/span><\/strong>\u00a0to recall exposure details and replicate previous wins.\u00a0<\/span>Adding\u00a0<\/span>and reviewing results for\u00a0<\/span>placements in Ascend\u2122 is quick and easy\u2014learn more in o<\/span>ur\u00a0<\/span>user guide<\/span><\/a>.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>\n<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    2. Establish baseline mea<\/strong>s<\/strong>urement period for\u00a0<\/strong><\/span>performance comparison.<\/span>\u00a0
    <\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

    Set the bar for success by\u00a0<\/span>selecting a previous performance duration for the publisher partner that is running the placement<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>similar<\/span>\u00a0to<\/span>\u00a0the<\/span>\u00a0time period\u00a0<\/span>that<\/span>\u00a0the placement<\/span>\u00a0will<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>run<\/span>.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>For example:<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

      \n
    1. \nTues<\/span>day –<\/span>\u00a0Thurs<\/span>day<\/span>\u00a0of\u00a0<\/span>last<\/span>\u00a0week vs. Tues<\/span>day<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>–<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>Thurs<\/span>day<\/span> of this week<\/span>\n<\/li>\n
    2. This month vs. last month. For months that\u00a0<\/span>differ in number of days, get a monthly comparison by dividing the total monthly revenue by number of days in the month for an average.<\/span> <\/span>\n<\/li>\n
    3. Year over year comparison using the same calendar dates.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>As a note, this method<\/span>\u00a0does not account for seasonality and shifting holiday dates<\/span>\u2014an important consideration in evaluating performance.\u00a0<\/span>For example,<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>Black Friday 2018<\/span>\u00a0fell in the second-to-last week of November, whereas\u00a0<\/span>B<\/span>lack\u00a0<\/span>F<\/span>riday<\/span>\u00a02019 was the last week<\/span>\u00a0of the calendar month.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>\n<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

      3. Consider data beyond immediate lift in revenue.<\/span> <\/span><\/strong>
      <\/span><\/p>\n

      The affiliate channel delivers results beyond merely lift in revenue such as brand advocacy, increased site traffic,\u00a0<\/span>new customers and more. When comparing results for a respective placement duration, i<\/span>t\u2019s key to look at the whole picture, and not simply the lift in revenue.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

        \n
      1. \nReview your <\/span>Ascend\u2122\u00a0KPI<\/span>\u00a0tracker<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>to see how featured exposure impacted your top three primary success drivers.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>\n<\/li>\n
      2. \nVisit Track to check out<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>metrics like traffic, conversion rate,\u202ftransactions and\u00a0<\/span>average order value (<\/span>AOV<\/span>)<\/span>\u00a0for the placement period<\/span>\u00a0as well as the days following\u00a0<\/span>your exposure<\/span>.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/span>As a note, days following featured exposure is particularly important to placements such as email drops, as recipients may take several days to engage with this\u00a0<\/span>medium<\/span>\u00a0as opposed to a homepage feature that expires.
        <\/span>
        <\/span>\n<\/li>\n
      3. \nConfigure\u00a0<\/span>various Ascend\u2122 reports to d<\/span>etermine if any of the metrics experienced a lift during the placement period\u00a0<\/span>as opposed to your baseline measurement period<\/span>.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>Compare\u00a0<\/span>data in the\u00a0<\/span>Placement\u00a0<\/span>report\u00a0<\/span>to\u00a0<\/span>that of\u00a0<\/span>the Publisher Performance Report by navigating to Track<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>><\/span>\u00a0<\/span>Performance<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>><\/span>\u00a0<\/span>Publisher Performance<\/span>.<\/span>\u00a0This is an important step in measuring placement success c<\/span>onsider<\/span>ing<\/span>\u00a0that a traditional top-of-funnel partner with featured placement may have driven site traffic that ultimately resulted in a lift in revenue from a \u201ccloser\u201d publisher partner if you are utilizing\u00a0<\/span>reward structures.<\/span> <\/span>Select the date range of the\u00a0<\/span>placement period with your\u00a0<\/span>baseline measurement period<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>automatically in Track by easily customizing\u00a0<\/span>time periods to compare and evaluate.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>\n<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

        4. Analyze the placement data.
        <\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

        Draw actionable insights from your placement performance by asking yourself the following questions:\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

          \n
        1. \nDid the placement result in a traffic lift over the comparable period? If so, what was the additional exposure your brand received as a result?<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>\n<\/li>\n
        2. \nDid the placement drive a greater number of transactions? If so, what was the net incremental lift?\u00a0
          <\/span>\u00a0<\/span>\n<\/li>\n
        3. \nDid new-to-file (NTF) customers increase?<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>\n<\/li>\n
        4. \nWas the conversion rate better for the current placement period over the prior period? Did it have an impact on revenue?<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>\n<\/li>\n
        5. \nDid the AOV during the current placement period increase over the prior time frame? If so, did it result in greater revenue?\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>\n<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

          By gaining a clear understanding of revenue drivers and performance results, it\u2019s\u00a0<\/span>easy to replicate wins or iterate\u00a0<\/span>strategy for future exposure.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

          5. Evaluate Incrementality. <\/span><\/strong>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

          Without a true definition, brands must define what incrementality means to their business<\/span>\u2014<\/span>revenue<\/span>,<\/span>\u00a0traffic, transactions, views and engagement can all be characterized as incremental value in the affiliate channel dependent on broader business goals. Ascend<\/span>\u2122<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>enables brands to measure the incrementality of a paid placement by not only providing publisher partners with a unique tracking link for placement tracking, but also implementing dynamic commissioning structures to commission at the creative level. In combination, dynamic commissioning capabilities and unique placement tracking links provide brands with engagement transparency as well as spend control.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

          6. <\/span><\/strong>Consider the investment by measuring\u00a0<\/span><\/strong>return on ad spend (<\/span><\/strong>ROAS<\/span><\/strong>)<\/span><\/strong>.<\/span><\/strong>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

          Measuring return on ad spend (ROAS)\u00a0<\/span>helps you to\u00a0<\/span>understand if your investment wa<\/span>s\u00a0<\/span>returned in comparison to the revenue generated by the placement<\/span>.\u00a0<\/span>This measurement, combined with an analysis of the performance metrics, will ultimately help you determin<\/span>e<\/span>\u00a0future placement investments<\/span>. However, ROAS is not\u00a0<\/span>the\u00a0<\/span>sole factor in determin<\/span>i<\/span>ng future placements with the publisher as placements perform differently<\/span>\u00a0because of varying factors<\/span>.\u00a0<\/span>For example,\u00a0<\/span>a homepage placement might fare better for one partner\u2019s site versus a category placement<\/span>\u00a0whereas\u00a0<\/span>newsletters may yield better performance than a homepage placement for other partners.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>Rather, the\u00a0<\/span>ROAS<\/span>\u00a0will help you make better decisions about the types of placements that are most effective for your brand on a per<\/span>–<\/span>partner basis.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

          7. <\/span><\/strong>Bring it all back to your\u00a0<\/span><\/strong>key performance indicators<\/span><\/strong>\u00a0<\/span><\/strong>(<\/span><\/strong>KPIs<\/span><\/strong>)<\/span><\/strong>.\u00a0<\/span><\/strong>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

          The Ascend\u2122 platform\u2019s front-and-center KPI widget enables you to manually set your top 4 monthly goals to easily monitor real-time success metrics\u2014data that is particularly important when featured placements are factored in.\u00a0<\/span>When reviewing your KPIs throughout the month, consider:\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

            \n
          1. \nWhat are your KPIs<\/span>? Did you discuss these metrics with your publisher partner when negotiating and choosing a placement or featured placement package?\u00a0<\/span>\n<\/li>\n
          2. \nHow\u00a0<\/span>did\u00a0<\/span>your\u00a0<\/span>placement influence the performance of your KPIs<\/span>?<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>\n<\/li>\n
          3. \nHow can I replicate successes from the placement to drive next month\u2019s KPIs?\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>\n<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

            Coordinating and measuring placements is an important part of your affiliate marketing lifecycle\u00a0<\/span>year-round<\/span>, but particularly when prepping for peak\u00a0<\/span>shopping season.\u00a0<\/span>If you haven\u2019t yet, we strongly encourage you to\u00a0<\/span>prepare yourself by\u00a0<\/span>check<\/span>ing<\/span>\u00a0out the previous series installments<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>found\u00a0<\/span>here<\/span><\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0<\/span>here<\/span><\/a>\u00a0<\/span>to get a better of idea on how to\u00a0<\/span>select, track<\/span>, audit\u00a0<\/span>effectively measure their results.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

            https:\/\/www.pepperjam.com\/blog\/7-easy-steps-to-measure-results-of-paid-placements-in-affiliate<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":0,"featured_media":716,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[2],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/salarydistribution.com\/affiliate-marketing\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/715"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/salarydistribution.com\/affiliate-marketing\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/salarydistribution.com\/affiliate-marketing\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/salarydistribution.com\/affiliate-marketing\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=715"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/salarydistribution.com\/affiliate-marketing\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/715\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/salarydistribution.com\/affiliate-marketing\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/716"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/salarydistribution.com\/affiliate-marketing\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=715"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/salarydistribution.com\/affiliate-marketing\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=715"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/salarydistribution.com\/affiliate-marketing\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=715"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}